I think most Rise Against fans agree that "The Sufferer" is their best effort to date. Their previous albums were more raw, while their following albums began moving towards the mainstream. I don't mind bands changing their sound, but it was incredibly obvious what they were attempting to achieve. Therefore, "The Sufferer" was the perfect mix of raw punk and mainstream rock. The album has a raw punk song in "Bricks" and a ballad with a female vocalist, "Roadside."

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Quote:

Behold, honored adversariesWe are the instruments of your joyful death

The Antlers - Hospice is an absolutely beautiful, near-perfect album. The Antlers' entire oeuvre is full of really solid music, but none of it is emotionally touching in the same way as Hospice is. The tired, funereal instrumentation perfectly complements what I think are some of the best lyrics I've ever heard.

From the opening track:

"I wish that I had known in that first minute we met, the unpayable debt that I owed you.'Cause you'd been abused by that bone that refused you, and you hired me to make up for that.

Walking in that room when you had tubes in your arms, those singing morphine alarms out of tune.They kept you sleeping and even, and I didn't believe them when they called you a hurricane thunderclap.

When I was checking vitals I suggested a smile. You didn't talk for awhile, you were freezing.You said you hated my tone, it made you feel so alone, and so you told me I ought to be leaving.

But something kept me standing by that hospital bed, I should have quit but instead I took care of you.You made me sleep all uneven, and I didn't believe them when they told me that there was no saving you."

It's a project that involves both Keiji Haino and Kan Mikami, so anyone interested in those names should check it out (if its still available anywhere). Mostly improvised (based on bare-bone sketches of Mikami songs, it sounds like) and incredibly noisy, the album is painfully sad at some points, and down right delirious at others. My favorite work of both Haino's and Mikami's (and I say that as a huge fan of both). It's also head and shoulders above anything else Vajra out--it sounds nothing like their (much weaker) previous efforts.

I think most Rise Against fans agree that "The Sufferer" is their best effort to date. Their previous albums were more raw, while their following albums began moving towards the mainstream. I don't mind bands changing their sound, but it was incredibly obvious what they were attempting to achieve. Therefore, "The Sufferer" was the perfect mix of raw punk and mainstream rock. The album has a raw punk song in "Bricks" and a ballad with a female vocalist, "Roadside."

Like 99% of the posts in this thread, I don't consider this to be a perfect album, just a non-metal album I really, really like. I've had a soft spot for the more melodic and poppy variants of punk for most of my life (basically ever since I first heard The Offspring circa 1994), and The Sufferer and the Witness is definitely a late landmark in the genre. It's sort of like the Rise Against equivalent to Somewhere Far Beyond, since it's essentially the perfect marriage between the two styles the band would eventually play. When Battalions of Fear became SFB, it sorta telegraphed A Night at the Opera, just like how fans heard The Unraveling turn into The Sufferer and the Witness, it telegraphed The Black Market. If you preferred their older, more traditionally heavy punk stuff, you can rip shit to shreds with "Chamber the Cartridge", "Drones", and my all time favorite RA song, "Bricks". If you prefer their newer, poppier catchy stuff, you can jump in place to "Ready to Fall", "Prayer of the Refugee", "Under the Knife", or "Behind Closed Doors". If you like them both, then you'll love the marriage of the two in "Injection", "The Good Left Undone", "Worth Dying For", and "Survive". Want some interestingly different sorta artsy and pretentious stuff too? Well then here, here's "The Approaching Curve" and "Roadside". Not one single song doesn't serve a purpose like that, and it's almost perfectly designed to be their best album, and it's a rare example of a band trying to please everybody and somehow managing to nail it. I like every Rise Against album to some degree, but Sufferer is pretty clearly their best if you don't have an intense dislike for one era or the other.

Joni Mitchell - Ladies of the CanyonProbably the best female songwriter of the 20th century, with so many great songs. You could make a 'best album' argument for about 4 or 5 of her albums but I like her earlier folk period best.

Nina Simone - Fodder on my WingsThis isn't usually my kind of music but Nina's voice hides nothing and the music is so sincere and heartfelt. I'd love to have seen her live.

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell KnollI'd be very surprised if Summoning weren't influenced by Cocteau Twins even just a little. The dense layers of veiled melodies, carefully measured and often martial rhythms, and the sheer elegance are just a few of the things they have in common. Perhaps Summoning is music's Mordor to the Twins' Lothlorien, the pair being the masculine and feminine of Middle-Earth.

Nanci Griffith - Last of the True BelieversMy favorite 'country' singer although musically I regard her as more folk than country. There's just a spark of magic on this album that comes once in a career. Lyrically I usually tune out for most music, but the way Nanci writes about loneliness, regret, hope and despair somehow manages to get through to me.

Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and the MirrorSheer class. Need I say more? World music at its best. The Two Trees usually manages to bring tears to my eyes.

Enya - WatermarkFor a long time I thought Enya was vapid lounge music and maybe you could say that about her newer stuff, but Watermark is terrific and pretty innovative to boot. An album to put pretty much all dungeon-synth to shame.

Patti Smith - Radio EthiopiaI wonder how wild and raw this must have seemed when it was released. When I heard it I couldn't believe the energy and anarchy there. I'll take this kind of punk over your Bad Religions and Misfits any day.

Lisa Germano - Excepts from a Love CircusI consider it high praise that I couldn't listen to a lot of Lisa Germano when I was in a depressive phase a year ago. She can be scarily personal and dark with her lyrics in a way I can relate to all too well, but she's equally brilliant at the same time.

Joanna Newsom - YsBest female songwriter since Joni Mitchell? Possibly. Immensely talented harpist and songwriter. The emotional intensity of this album is so strong I can't listen to it too often.

Kate Bush - The Kick InsideSuperb album and Kate's soprano voice is half of what makes it that. Wuthering Heights wouldn't be out of place as an 80s metal ballad. Epic song, epic album. I'm a bit disappointed that she left this style pretty much straight away, but then again she didn't repeat herself which is probably for the best.

Emilia Amper - Abrégé: Folk Suite for Nyckelharpa & OrchestraNot so much an album as a suite, and truly excellent stuff. Makes me feel like I'm at some kind of viking war bonfire after a battle.

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell KnollI'd be very surprised if Summoning weren't influenced by Cocteau Twins even just a little. The dense layers of veiled melodies, carefully measured and often martial rhythms, and the sheer elegance are just a few of the things they have in common. Perhaps Summoning is music's Mordor to the Twins' Lothlorien, the pair being the masculine and feminine of Middle-Earth.

What.

_________________...Don't turn out the lightsCause there's demons in the nightAnd they prey on the fears in us all...

Danny Cavanagh does a guest appearance and Duncan Patterson used to be in this band so it obviously has some relation with metal. But the music itself leans towards darkwave. Leaving Eden is probably their most rock influenced album. Where other albums were too much in the ambient side, this one gets the balance between ambient and rock right. I think its the best melancholic rock album. Mick Moss' vocals are awesome and the lyrics are exactly the kind of which I like - introspective, poetic and depressive. Whole album has got a very sorrowful atmosphere and songs like Another Face in a Window, Leaving Eden, Fighting for a Lost Cause or some of my all time fav. One of the most memorable and emotional album I have ever listened to

I prefer atmospheric dark stuff in any form - metal, rock, electronic etc. So here's my list:Hol Baumann - Human. One of the coolest form of modern urban depression incarnated in stylish elecrtronic sound. Way Out West - Don't look now. Great mix of trance music with a dreaming mood. I like style of their composers/Colloquio - Va tutto bene. If you want to let your girlfriend know what does it mean - deeper kind of music and she is far from metal scene you should give her that record. She'll like it. Pop music with a very "grey" view.Massive Attack - all their art.Zeromancer - very good modern rock.

Last edited by Axalcathu on Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

There are so many, but I'll list a few non-metal/rock albums that I've listened to a lot this year which I feel are underrated or overlooked:

Penguin Eggs by Nic Jones- Traditional english folk songs recreated by master craftsman Nic Jones. A classic folk album that showcases his innovative, percussive style of guitar playing and haunting vocals.

So Cheerfully Round by The Young Tradition- Rough, raw (just how I like it) english acapella folk music at its finest. Full of brilliant melody that could only have been achieved by the geniuses who wrote those songs through the ages. The three singers have an usual way of harmonising with each other that creates this strange atmosphere which perfectly suites the lyrics (each song tells a story, some of them quite dark and morbid). It might not be everyones cup of tea, but I listen to it regularly and would recommend fans of folk music to at least check it out.

Ballads by John Coltrane- I'm no jazz connoisseur, but this is an album I can listen to time and time again, and whether I'm listening attentively or whether it's on in the background, it's always a rewarding experience. Full of beautiful melodies and light, lyrical solos that reflects everything I look for in a song. Much more enjoyable than his better-known, more experimental work.

High Gain wrote:

Propagandhi- How to clean everything

Excellent band, but the only album of theirs that would come close to getting a 10/10 from me would be Supporting Caste. I like the way they've blended progressive metal and melodic punk rock on their newer releases. Certainly a cut above most bands of their ilk when it comes to songwriting.

Excellent band, but the only album of theirs that would come close to getting a 10/10 from me would be Supporting Caste. I like the way they've blended progressive metal and melodic punk rock on their newer releases. Certainly a cut above most bands of their ilk when it comes to songwriting.

Yeah I actually thought How To Clean Everything was kinda shitty, but it's been a few years since I've heard it. I've surprisingly never heard Supporting Caste, but the other two albums in that vein (Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes and Failed States) are both very good. They're definitely one of the heaviest bands in this subniche, and it's the only melodic hardcore punk band I can ever remember somebody trying to submit to MA.

The band themselves have denounced How to Clean Everything as lame juvenile pop-punk, but honestly there's way too much nostalgia there for me to ever not enjoy it. That said, Today's Empires is easily their peak. Really heavy, yet still has remnants of their earlier sound. Their newer albums are usually alright for a few songs, but I eventually get bored.

I'm a big fan of Deftones overall but this is where they really nail it 100 %. They mix the songwriting up and employ the nu-metal/psychadelic mix perfectly. Chino's vocals are also completely on fire.

Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death

Put The Cure, Katatonia, Deftones and some post rock in a blender and you get this. Simple songwriting that escalates into anthemic choruses on every track. Extremely addictive.

dredg - Catch Without Arms

One of the most pussified bands I listen to. Catchy poppy/funky alt rock that's extremely infectious and addictive. This album has pretty much been a playlist constant for me since 2004-2005.

My mum doesn't get heavy music, but it was her flogging this puppy when I was young that made me love riffs. Oldfield does this in spades, and I knew every fucking note before she got married and I was exposed the Led Zep and T-Rex by my step-father.

The Sisters of Mercy: First and Last and AlwaysThe Cure: Staring at the Sea

Punk's prettier and more reflective gothic side - and the romance of darkness - could not have a better representation than these two classics. "Staring..." is probably technically a compilation, but since I consider a compilation any collection of songs that doesn't work together thematically my view is skewed, and this album works not just to this end but also displays a love of life abscent from the genre's stereotypical image.

The Naked and Famous: Passive Me, Aggressive YouChvrches: Every Open Eye

Advancing ahead a coupla decades, the "post-everything" music world has stars again. The deeply emotive lyrics, borderline psychosis and the startlingly sharp musical and social awareness of both bands made me realise that music is alive and well.

Perturbator: Dangerous DaysLazerhawk: VisitorsGosT: Behemoth

Obviously members of a musical genre loved by more than a few on MA, what I tend to call "neon noir" has time travelled the futuristic sound of a past millenium into the very future it was set in. The thematic hints of the obsessions of "then" carry through also; Satanism + Aliens + countless references to Star Wars, Knight Rider and Terminator makes this old man pretty stoked that he didn't call all the kids prats, buy a shotgun, get a rocking chair on a porch and declare music over.

The Doors - The Doors. A masterpieceThe Beatles - Revolver. My favorite album since I was in 6th grade, and never disappointed me since.Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks. Simple, yet effective.The Damned - Neat Neat Neat. The fucking drums.Butthole Surfers - every album except the two last ones. Brilliant, avant-garde and revolutionary.The Exploited - Although it has hints of thrash, it has high musicianship compared to other punk of that time and the lyrics are great too.

_________________does it djent?

stainedclass2112 wrote:

It was a joke you darn can of fizzy sweetened liquid

BastardHead wrote:

Somebody is getting murdered but poor razz just wants his beauty sleep.

Perfectly portrays that dark and ancient atmosphere, all the tracks blend together in a good way. Extremely memorable too which is amazing for this minimalist style. I can't pick any faults in it to be honest.

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Smoking_Gnu wrote:

Hmm, I actually wouldn't mind buying him a sauna if it would reduce the odds of me getting infected by his excess sensitive-skin flakes that get blown off in the wind. I don't want to turn into a cunt.

The first album that comes to my mind is Eve 6's Horrorscope. I think the band was written off by most people as just another pop punk band: another attempt at replicating Blink 182, and nothing more. But their work, and this album in particular, stands above the rest of that era of pop punk for two reasons: Clever lyrics with clever delivery, and incredible consistency from front to back.

The lyrics do not fall (as hard) into the regular themes of the era: eschewing ridiculous escapades, crazy parties, and break up induced misery in favor of a more sober treatment of one night stands, break ups, and friendship. Generic themes? Yes, but delivered in way that more accurately reflects real life and not the melodramatic version of it many artists choose to present.

There is not a track on this album which I find dull, and after hundreds of listens I still find the lyrics to be engaging and clever, and the music supports the mood they try to convey effortlessly.

I've been playing Black Holes and Revelations a lot lately. Great album. It's so well articulated and professional, with lots of layers and electronics, but the songs are still just based on good old traditional rock/pop melodies. The vocals and guitars are both excellent.

Haven't posted in a long while, but this topic invited me to contribute. My metal - other genres distribution is probably 20% to 80% nowadays so I'd thought I'd share some of my personal favorites.

Florence + The Machine - CeremonialsFlorence Welch really is a modern day hippie and her floaty esoteric way of songwriting really shines on this album. She has an amazing voice and the amount of different instruments and the way they are implemented make the album such a joy to listen to.

Iron Chic - Not Like ThisIron Chic got to me when I first heard this album at a friends house. At first glance they seem a run of the mill punk band, but listening closer to the pretty heavy lyrics and notable song structures make them stand out. They have a unique knack to sound happy but sing about some pretty depressive subjects.

Puscifer - Conditions of my ParoleTool's Maynard slightly newer project Puscifer is a hit of miss for me. There's stuff I like and stuff I hate, but they kill it on this album. Weird, strange mixture of electronica, rock and psychedelia make it a trip. A reall good one.

Hilltop Hoods - State of the ArtI'd even urge non-fans of hiphop to check out HH atleast some time in their lives. State of the Art is just a really fun and easy album to listen to, and you can't help but get struck by that infectious australian accent.

M83 - Hurry Up, We're DreamingI discovered this album roughly during the worst time of my life so far. During the couple of months when I did not care if I'd live or die the next day, this album's soothing and relaxing sounds really brought my mind at peace. At least for a little while, which was enough.

Ceremonials is pretty much exactly what I always wanted to hear in a pop album like that. Pretty much every song is gold. "What the Water Gave Me" and "No Light, No Light" are particularly electrifying.

Good to see Ceremonials getting so much love on the archives! "What the water gave me" is probably my favorite song from the band. The way it builds up and promply explodes at the end always gives me chills. It demonstrates Florence's singing abilities so well, as well as the musical prowess of the band, especially Isabella Summers on the keyboards.I'd urge you to check the band's other albums too, some great songs and stuff like "Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)" soumds like it would perfectly fit on Ceremonials.

Teen Suicide - Waste YrslfThese guys are pretty much the bedroom noise crappy sound version of emo post-punk, but dammit they sound really good. Their songs have this sort of drifting mysticism about them, and this album is also a perfect tool to get high with.

Social Distortion - Hard Times & Nursery RhymesHuge punk fans will probably disagree but personally this is my favorite Social D album. A sober Mike Ness results in a quality selection of excellent songs filled with variety. A bit less punk and a bit more rock and roll perhaps, but thats clearly the way this band works best.

Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark ThirdPRR was an amazing prog/electronica band from England, now sadly disbanded. Though I love all their outputs, this album is the most progrock oriented, taking its influences from acts like Pink Floyd. Fantastic dreamer of an album, perfect for those late night sessions to simply drift away to or listen to while doing some creative tinkering.

Gustav Holst - The Planets: As you can see, the outer space fascinates me. I was that kid who kept drawing the solar system in art class. This album/symphony also makes me feel like I'm travelling through space.

Weather Report - Black Market: Amazing jazz fusion. I can't even describe this album. And I swear I'm not being lazy.

This is just a flawless album. It dazzles with charming pop and bluesy rock, with a real nostalgic bent to it, but the emotions running through this are complex and honest. The songs on here are rife with broken promises and disappointment and unsure feelings bleeding through Jack White's literary, quirky lyricism and through the simple, yearning riffs, chords and soulful singing. It's a very human album and captures a lot of nuance and complexity of emotion. I can't get enough.

Also, Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood it's really hard for me to pick one favorite Jethro Tull album, but it comes down to either Heavy Horses or this one. I think Songs From The Wood wins, it is front to back, utterly fantastic.

Yes - The Yes Album Next to Hemispheres, one of my favorite classic prog albums. The bass playing and Tony Kaye's keys make such a huge impression on me.

Kansas - Leftoverture I'd say that Masque is my favorite Kansas album, but the first track just doesn't do it for me. Leftoverture, however, is just a masterpiece. "Magnum Opus" is one of the best musical compositions ever. The bass solo in the beginning gives me the chills every time I hear it.

I'd also say that Primus' Antipop album is a 100%. Always been my favorite Primus album. The aggressive flavor that the album has compliments their sound in such a fantastic way.

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raspberrysoda wrote:

It will make you piss in your goddamn pants. It has influences from thrash, grindcore, crossover, hardcore punk, and RUDOLPH THE FUCKING RED NOSED DEER

While I'm not sure I'd give any Bad Religion album a full 100%, No Control and Against the Grain would be extremely close. I'd say Against the Grain and No Control = high 90s, and Suffer and Generator = mid 90s. Bad Religion is just my favorite band period, regardless of genre, and I think The Dissent of Man is the only one that's in danger of getting a negative score, since it really only has like three really good songs and then a bunch of lame filler. I just said it the other day in the NP thread, but I'll do it again here since I'm not on my phone and it's not a pain to type, and in all honesty it subtly shifts basically daily anyway: